Many will have to travel by bus to an alternative branch which will mean increased difficulty for the elderly people who used the Frimley Road post office.

People wanting to access Post Office services will have to use branches in Frimley High Street, Victoria Avenue or Camberley town centre.

The Frimley Road branch will close on November 3 and many community leaders expressed disappointment with the Post Office’s decision.

They claim the Post Office had never intended to listen to the appeals to keep the branch open, and Surrey Heath Council’s Cllr Mohammad Chaudry, who represents the ward, branded its public consultation on the proposed closure as just a “public relations exercise”.

In July he invited Post Office representatives to Surrey Heath House to explain their urban network reinvention strategy.

“The future of the Frimley Road post office was discussed with representatives from the Post Office,” he said.

“The outcome of the meeting was that the post office would be closed, primarily on the grounds it is not sufficiently profitable.”

Cllr Chaudry believes the post office closure will have a detrimental impact on the area and its residents.

“I think it will destroy the Watchetts ward community relationships, as most of the people there like to use it,” he said.

He added that it would be at least a 15-minute bus journey to Camberley town centre, with a similar trip to get to Frimley High Street.

In a statement, the Post Office said the Frimley Road branch would close so that “a viable future can be secured” for the remaining branches in the area.

“The closure, agreed with the subpostmaster who wants to leave the business, is part of a nationwide programme designed to safeguard the future of the urban Post Office network overall,” it continued.

Paul Simmonds, the Post Office’s head of area, said: “We have very carefully considered our original proposal, on a branch-by-branch basis, while also taking into account the needs of the Surrey Heath area as a whole.

“After taking into account the overall branch resources in the area, we have decided that permanent closure of the Frimley Road branch is the correct action to take.”

Cross-party support had been given to a campaign to keep the post office open and Surrey Heath’s Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate Rosalyn Harper helped to collect signatures on a petition.

She said it was “dreadful” that the branch would close .

“I am extremely disappointed that yet another post office will close at the expense of the local community,” she said.

“It is clear that from the beginning the Post Office had no intention of listening to any local representation.

“While collecting petitions to stop the closure, local residents, especially older people and mothers with young children, expressed their concerns to me on the difficulties they would have travelling to other post offices, the extra expense of bus rides and the possibility of long queues in the Princess Way branch.”

Similar protests occurred when the Post Office proposed, and eventually closed, Mytchett’s post office in Mytchett Road.